Louisiana AHGP

Part of the American History and Genealogy Project

Austin Harris

Austin Harris served as pastor for Homer Baptist Church in 1871. It was during Brother Harris' tenure that the Homer Church stopped referring to itself as Homer Baptist Church of Christ and simply as Homer Baptist Church, though we have no record of the exact date this was done. Since the gap in church records encompass his term as pastor, it is probable that he served at least some time prior to October 1871. This would be consistent with his service as pastor to Rocky Springs Baptist church from 1871 to 1879 and as pastor of New Friendship Baptist Church until his death.

Brother Harris was born in Pike County, Georgia on July 17, 1835. He was raised in a devout Methodist church and joined the Methodist church at an early age. When he was twenty, during a study of the New Testament, he began to question certain points of the Methodist faith, primarily the function of the ordinance of baptism. This could have been occasioned by his marriage at that time to a Miss Rhetta Milner, the daughter of a Missionary Baptist preacher. Brother Harris soon became a Baptist and was ordained to preach in 1858. The following year he moved to Caldwell parish where he preached for several years before relocating to Claiborne parish.

He established an academy at Arizona in Claiborne parish and continued to teach school even as he served as a pastor. Brother Harris served Rocky Springs Baptist Church as pastor during 1871 to 1879 and may have continued to serve as pastor of Homer Church during a portion of that time. During this time he served four churches, devoting one Saturday and Sunday each month to each church. He also served as pastor at Friendship and Antioch. He died August 10, 1881 and is buried in the cemetery at Rocky Springs. He was considered to be a fine speaker and teacher and was a staunch proponent of missionary activity.

One of Brother Harris' sons is perhaps better known than the father. Thomas H. Harris, the sixth of his ten children, was superintendent of education in the state of Louisiana for more than a quarter of a century. 15

Biographical Sketches| Claiborne Parish | AHGP

Source: Author's Notice: I hereby give permission for the free dissemination of any and all material included within the book and permit any non profit use of that material. Should any agency wish to use the material in a profit context, permission must be secured from the church body of First Baptist Church, Homer, LA 71040.  By Barbara Smith, Homer, Louisiana.